title: Comparison of 1.5- and 3-T MR imaging for evaluating the articular cartilage of the knee.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this prospective study was to compare routine MRI scans of the knee at 1.5 and 3 T obtained in the same individuals in terms of their performance in the diagnosis of cartilage lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred patients underwent MRI of the knee at 1.5 and 3 T and subsequent knee arthroscopy. All MR examinations consisted of multiplanar 2D turbo spin-echo sequences. Three radiologists independently graded all articular surfaces of the knee joint seen at MRI. With arthroscopy as the reference standard, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 1.5- and 3-T MRI for detecting cartilage lesions and the proportion of correctly graded cartilage lesions within the knee joint were determined and compared using resampling statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For all readers and surfaces combined, the respective sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for detecting all grades of cartilage lesions in the knee joint using MRI were 60, 96, and 87% at 1.5 T and 69, 96, and 90% at 3 T. There was a statistically significant improvement in sensitivity (p < 0.05), but not specificity or accuracy (n.s.) for the detection of cartilage lesions at 3 T. There was also a statistically significant (p < 0.05) improvement in the proportion of correctly graded cartilage lesions at 3 T as compared to 1.5 T.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A 3-T MR protocol significantly improves diagnostic performance for the purpose of detecting cartilage lesions within the knee joint, when compared with a similar protocol performed at 1.5 T.
  
  
  METHODS
  III.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Antwerp University Hospital and University of Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, Edegem, 2650, Antwerp, Belgium, pieter.van.dyck@uza.be.
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van Dyck
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kenis
authors.forename: Filip M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Vanhoenacker
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lambrecht
authors.forename: Kristien
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wouters
authors.forename: Jan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gielen
authors.forename: Lieven
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dossche
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Parizel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001182:Arthroscopy; D002357:Cartilage Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055815:Young Adult